Yeah, I know it's because he was based on an existing toy with a different design than the Diaclone/Microchange. But he's been around for 20 years now and never had a redesign, been an important character in pretty much every comic book (although hardly in the cartoons), but still I don't think anyone has ever tried to answer why the heck he looks like he does.

One reason might be that he's old. I don't know how old he is but he sure seems to have lots of experience. Then again, no other old characters have a weird face like that. There aren't many other figures with similar designs (except Whirl) at all, again because it's not part of the general TF design.

The only real explanation I have is that he prefers it that way. Without a face to betray his emotions, he can be a pretty good schemer (of course it's the other way around with his design influencing his personality, though). Then again, there must be some benefit to having an actual face or other schemers like Starscream wouldn't have one (except maybe for looks: Screamer certainly would care more about that than Shockwave).

 

The main reason for him to still being a cyclops it's the same as why most Primes have a face plate, classic design that most people would recognise.

 

Yes, but like I said that's the external explanation. The internal story explanation is, well, we don't have one. Which is kind of strange considering it's a pretty unique thing about him.

But of course, we don't really have a lot of unique character traits explained to us, they're mostly just there.

 

Yeah, long story short, its because fans would bitch if they changed him.

 

I've created my own explanation for this and some other stuff. I would make out a full story about it, but I don't have the writing skills to do so. In the story it would basically reveall that shockwave was actually a prototype TF, and that Megatron was the final product to create the "ultimate weapon". It would also explain that they didn't make it so that Megs new he was the ultimate weapon, but he found out about the ultimate weapon, and has been looking for it, even though it's been right there on his arm and in his systems the whole time. This is something that I've come up on my own, and isn't actually any story in any of the comics or anything else. I personally like it, but I'm probably one of the few that would actually except that. Peace out.

 

I always figured that since he was a bot of logic and reason, then he was most likely a Cybetronian scientist like Perceptor and he probably uses that one eye like a microscope sometimes or maybe for x-ray vison or something of that nature that needs a focusing beam.

 

the same reason his one hand is a gun: he is a walking, living phallus.

shockwaves so badass he doesnt need a face.

 

I heard his face was burned by acid when he was just a junior Autobot lieutenant, and as a result he covered his face with an emotionless mask and turned to evil.

His hand was eaten by a Dinobot and he fused it with his rifle himself, hiding in a foxhole, drinking his own bleeding lubricant for sustainance until it was over.

His past history with Ultra Magnus has been classified top secret and the threat of its revelation the only thing keeping him from ever, ever going to the Earth.

Also, he's secretly a woman.

What this has to do with his relationship with Ultra Magnus is open to speculation.

 

Rule of Cool.
He looks cool, so it stays.

 

Frankly, that's the reason I've always gone with. Everything about Shockwave, not just his eye, is different from other Transformers, such as his hexagonal design of the head and chest. His G1 bio claims that he runs on a nuclear reactor and has extra thick armor, again making him different from other TFs. And, of course, the fact that he thinks more like a computer than his comrades, and never bothers to change his alt mode. In my eyes this has always indicated that Shockwave is from a much older design of Decepticon, sort of an antique who's proven that even though his peers are updated, they dont outmatch him.

 

Because no one ever told him not to run with scissors.

 

I always thought he got a BB Gun as a protoform...

 

Because he looks cool that way.

 

Cuz he has just one eye...Thats why he is a cyclops....lol...

I think there is More Than Meets The Eye when It comes to this guy...

 

heheh. make that, dont run with gun-arm.

no wonder he kept missing the fembots in that episode. lack of depth perception.

'bitches'. lol

 

That's because no one ever told him not to run with a chainsaw, either.

 

Megatron poked his other eye out with a stick for being mouthy when they first met...

 

He sold his other eye for 3 energon cubes and the keys to an 82 trans-am.

 

Logical.